Before the Dawn
by storygirl1015
Summary: In the time before the Fourth Shinobi War, Naruto, or even the founding of Konoha, a chance meeting of young prodigies forever changed the flow of history. And she forever changed the definition of a warrior. [TobiramaxOC, slight MadaraxOC]


**Lately, I've been interested in pre-canon stories featuring the future founders of Konoha, namely the Senju brothers and occasionally Madara. I have grown somewhat of an attachment to Tobirama 3 in all his aloof, Uchiha-disliking ways. XD And well, I just want to try this…I just started back up for my junior year in college so I may not have time to update regularly with all the other stories of mine that also need attending to and everything else I've got going on, and it may not be any good, just a passing whimsy, but I hope you will give me some kind of feedback all the same. **

**So far, I'm thinking a main pairing of TobiramaxOC sounds good, with some chances of slight to moderate HashiramaxOC and MadaraxOC thrown in on the side…but since Hashirama's got Mito and Madara is well, Madara (and already has countless fanfics about him circulating), I'd kind of like to focus more on our favorite white-haired Senju. But you guys let me know if you think I should make this a triangle at some point… This will be a Tobirama/Hashirama/Madara/OC centric. And no, I do not mean there will be yaoi. I just mean this will be primarily about these characters lives.**

**X3 I am gonna try to make this as canon-compliant when the time comes (I think that's important in these types of stories since the events that took place in the past set the plot for the Naruto timeline we all know and love), the challenge is how to make it original without deviating from important facts and events, and it is one I gladly accept! *flames of passion explode in background* …Um, but I'm still brushing up on my pre-Konoha history, ok guys? So there may be times when I have to wikia things for reference or even ask some of you to jog my memory about certain things. Please don't think less of me for it, ok?**

**Now that THAT long-winded spiel is over, let's get this show started, shall we? I own nothing of Naruto! All characters are the property of the one and only creator Masashi Kishimoto… I do own my OC(s) though~**

**Summary: **Before the dawn of Naruto Uzumaki, the three great sanin, or even the five shinobi nations themselves, there were a group of children who would grow up to be legendary, the ones who would be the dawn of everything—and the strange girl who would be the unexpected catalyst to it all.

* * *

**Part I: Pre-Konoha**

_**The Kazama Clan**_

No one thought she looked like much from the beginning, and they definitely never thought she was meant for greatness. But the old adage held true, even if no one knew it at the time. Some were born great, others are chosen for greatness. In hindsight, she would proudly consider herself to be a member of the latter category. She had certainly had to work for the acknowledgement, and right from the start, the odds were against her.

She was born in a settlement, as was common for most in her time, in the midst of ongoing skirmishes over territory, among other things. As her mother lay, red-faced and exhausted on the futon, with her long inky black hair spilling out on the pillows piled behind her, the midwife wrapped the screaming newborn in a hand-knit blanket, already mentally clucking over the pitiful thing.

The baby was born prematurely, and even though it was crying, the underdeveloped lungs were weak. She had serious doubt the child would make it to see its first winter. Nonetheless, she gave her mistress a bright smile and declared that she had birthed a fine baby girl.

Hamuko, still panting slightly and understandably drained, carefully raised herself on shaky elbows to look into the face of her new daughter for the first time. Dry and warm, the baby's cries had now settled to mere disgruntled whines, but Hamuko paid it no mind as she gazed adoringly at the soft-skinned, rose dappled cheeks of the girl.

Her long-time servant, Toya, slowly transplanted the little girl into her mother's waiting arms, and Hamuko instantly felt a rush of warmth surge through her, the heat of the tiny body cradled against her heaving bosom was kindling to the happy warmness blossoming in her heart.

She had been wishing against all hopes for a daughter…but after the gods had taken her last daughter away so brutally, and so young, and left her with only four sons, one of whom was the twin to the girl child she had lost, she thought it was not meant to be.

Now here was a wonderful gift from Amaterasu-sama. A daughter to love and hold as her very own. She only hoped her husband wouldn't let his disappoint make him biased in his treatment of her. But in her heart, with the same instincts that told her to keep her baby safe, she also knew that in the cruel, unstable times they lived in, her daughter's gender left her future all but sealed.

Ninja clans, their sworn enemies, had long since utilized the female warriors known as kunoichi in battle, but the code of samurai remained exclusively male dominated. While she worried constantly for the day she may lose her sons to another violent brawl, her daughter would never have to know the bitter taste of taking a life first-hand, or be forced to court death in a constant waltz on the battlefield.

She would remain protected within their small settlement, learning from Hamuko and the other women of the clan how to cook, clean, tend to the needs of men, and one day, hopefully settle down with a strong warrior who would provide for her and their family.

That was all she could really hope for as she looked at the child, squinting softly through her watery eyes. Hamuko ran the pad of her thumb over a ruddy cheek and the baby blinked twice as if trying to focus her vision. Toya stood nearby, hands folded neatly in front of her in case she was needed. "Have you decided upon a name milady, or will you be waiting for lord Katashi's return?"

Hamuko smiled gently as she continued to stroke her daughter's face, but there was a barely noticeable tightness in the corners of her eyes, something distant and pained. "Her name is Kimiko…" She hadn't told anyone that she had hoped so strongly for a daughter that she had only bothered thinking of names to use if the child should be born a girl. Now she was glad she had.

Toya nodded solemnly, "Fitting. She is now the clan's cherished princess."

Hamuko sighed, tired but content in that moment. "Yes, she is," Then, looking to the heavy flaps of the nursing tent, she chuckled softly. "Why don't you come and say hello to your imouto?" There was rustling from the other side, young voices chattered quickly at each other, seemingly debating over something before it grew quiet. Hamuko waited, timing their entrance in her head.

Toya looked on in veiled amusement as first one then two young boys came into the birthing tent. The younger one scrambled in clumsily. The straps of his sandals noticeably loose again. That boy was a mess…so clumsy and reckless and full of life. It was a wonder he hadn't given poor lady Hamuko a heart attack.

The other boy, only a few years his senior, eyed everything quietly as he ambled to their mother's side, stopping just short of the dais the futon was set up on. His younger brother climbed up without hesitation and crawled to the side of the resting woman to peer down into the droopy face of his newest sibling. She stared up at him through half-lidded eyes. He cocked his head, unsure exactly how he felt about this girl. His imouto.

Smiling, Hamuko lifted up an arm and pulled him close, warm and snug against her loosely fitted yukata that still held the faint scent of her favorite lotus blossom oil, even though the air was mostly heavy with perspiration, wet earth and a tinge of blood. "Jai-kun, this is your little sister. Her name is Kimiko-chan." she cooed. "I need you to watch over her, keep her safe for me when I can't."

Toya pursed her lips to keep from contradicting her mistress's words. She wanted to refute that there would ever be a time when she might be taken away from her daughter prematurely, because Toya simply wouldn't allow it.

But she stayed quiet out of respect and let her ladyship continue to talk to her children. "You come too, Ranmaru," the boy who had been standing hesitantly at the edge of the platform carefully stepped up, settling on her other side, careful not to sit on her impossibly long hair.

Ranmaru examined the newest addition to the clan with wary vigilance. At the moment he couldn't say he was very pleased with her. Before she had been born, Jai was the baby. And before Jai, it had been him. Now, with another new sibling in the family—a little girl no less—everyone was bound to be just as fussy over her as they had been over the baby before her.

And that meant even less attention to spare on him. He narrowed his eyes at the oblivious little face, annoyed with how she just lay cradled there so innocently. There was nothing special in her that wasn't present in any other newborn.

And he didn't want anyone's_ spare_ attention; he wanted _everyone's_ full attention. Especially his father's. His father who was always away fighting and protecting their territory from ronin and wandering ninja alike, along with the strongest of the clan and his two elder brothers. One day, he would surpass them all and be the one his father lavished the most praise on, and the one who stood by his side. For now, he waited for the chance to prove himself.

Jai, on the other hand, simply stared in open curiosity. She was small, he noticed first. Smaller than he thought a newborn was supposed to be. Did everyone start that small—did he?

And her eyes looked glazed and watery and because she wouldn't really do anything more than squint up at him, he couldn't really tell her eye color. The thin fuzz on her head was dark, but somehow not as inky as their mother's.

All in all he surmised that she was just a baby, perhaps calmer than most babies he'd seen, but still nothing really great. She was definitely a baby girl though— it was obvious at a glance with her chubby red cheeks, red mouth and the thin lashes that already showed signs of a curl at the ends. Maybe one day, she would be fun.

He could teach her to climb trees, take hot dumplings while Toya wasn't looking, and even teach her some of the basic fighting skills he was learning. A small spark of excitement took light as the boy stared into the small face with renewed interest.

_He _would be the older brother for once and someone would actually look up to him! The baby's tiny red lips parted in a yawn as she smacked her mouth sleepily. But, right now she was weak and helpless, and a long ways off from being able to keep up with him. Right now she was just a baby. A delicate, boring baby.

"I'll protect Kimiko-chan, kaa-san." Jai told her determinedly. Hamuko smiled softly, settling back against the cushions.

"I know you will. You'll grow strong and keep her safe."

Ranmaru frowned, edging closer to look at the chubby face of his new sister again. "What about me, kaa-san? Don't you think I'll be capable of protecting imouto?"

Hamuko laughed, patting his evenly cut brown hair with a warm hand. "Of course, my sweet Ranmaru. I'm depending on you to protect your sister and watch over your reckless brother too."

Jai pouted at this, but didn't bother to respond with protest. Everyone knew he was always the type to charge into things head-on.

"But one day…I won't need anybody to watch over me, 'cause I'm gonna get really strong, like tou-san!" he puffed his chest out with a proud grin.

All her sons aspired to garner their father's praise and approval; Katashi was a seasoned warrior who had seen battles and known death since he slaughtered his first enemy at the age of eight.

He was far from a doting father, and wouldn't even acknowledge his children until they could prove themselves to him in battle. And though their marriage had initially been an arranged one, Hamuko truly had come to fall deeply in love with the handsome, confident young samurai her family had decided to give her to.

Though lately, with the threat of another war looming on the horizon that would drag the Kazama in again and result in even more casualties. Her husband had been colder and she could sense a change somewhere in him. Katashi had the warrior's blood of a samurai rushing through his veins and had never shied from battle, but this time was different. It had started to worry her. Maybe even scare her…and she felt ashamed. Ashamed to acknowledge that she was beginning to fear her husband.

Though what she feared most was that she couldn't stop her sons from turning into exact replicas of their father. She couldn't shield them from the horrors that surrounded them, and she couldn't keep pretending they would stay her innocent, sweet sons forever.

Two had already begun joining their father on the battlefield; it was only a matter of time before the youngest brothers joined suit. Kimiko stirred in her arms and she rocked her gently, murmuring sweet words. At least this little one would always stay by her side. She wouldn't allow anything to take her away, the way she had her dead sister before her. If it was the last thing she ever did, she would keep Kimiko from being exposed to danger.

~.XoXoXoXoXoXo.~

"Kimiko!" Hamuko yelled, nearly tripping over her hair as she ran through the compound. "Kimiko! Kimiko, where are you?!" she stopped in a long corridor that led to the yard that connected to the west side, winded.

"Milady?" she glanced over her shoulder to see Toya there, looking concerned as she took in Hamuko's frazzled appearance. "Is there something wrong?" she took a tentative step closer. "I heard you yell and—"

"Toya! I can't find Kimiko anywhere! I turned for only a second to empty the potato peels and when I looked back she had disappeared without a trace!"

Toya nodded in immediate understanding, "Then I will help you search the grounds until she's found. Surely a toddler couldn't have wandered far." she reasoned.

Hamuko bit her bottom lip in worry like the distraught mother that she was. Kimiko had done this before. In fact, ever since she had become mobile some months ago, she had a budding persistence to explore, and hardly seemed content to remain in one place for an extended period of time. Several times she had caught her daughter clumsily tottering after her brothers as they would head to the training grounds, and had to run and catch her.

It was clear she took a fascination in the outside world and wanted to see where her brothers were going off to each day when they weren't away, but it was just too dangerous. "Let's start with the back porch…I've already checked this side of the compound thoroughly. I'm afraid she may have found an opened door and gotten outside." Hamuko confessed nervously.

"Let's make haste then," Toya agreed.

* * *

Meanwhile, up in a tree on the clan's private training grounds, a giddy little girl sat snuggled in her brother's lap, watching as two of her other brothers sparred down below. Her round eyes traveled back and forth between them as they exchanged blows and parried with swords. "See that Kimiko-chan?" her brother would say excitedly. "That's nii-san's special parrying move!"

Kimiko didn't quite understand everything she was seeing, but she sensed the passion and exhilaration in the air and clapped her small hands gleefully. "Nii-san! Nii-san!" she cheered enthusiastically for no one in particular.

Down below, the two boys broke apart after their swords clashed in a stalemate. Isamu glanced up at the small figure shouting encouragingly out of the corner of his eye and smirked to his younger brother. "Hear that? Even your sister is cheering for me,"

Ranmaru glared at his smug expression, grinding his teeth. He was tired of always being taunted by Isamu and not getting the decent respect from his father he knew he deserved. Forgetting it was only meant to be a practice match, he began channeling his chakra into the blade the way his father had been trying to teach him for several weeks now.

It had seemed hopeless at first. Hiroto, with his iai style was the most adapt at it by far, and Isamu wasn't far behind. But what they didn't know was that he had been practicing endlessly in the hot sun for hours until he reached the brink of collapsing. '_Now you'll see, brother…_' Hiroto's eyes widened, recognizing the move.

"Ranmaru, stop!" he screamed from his spot on the sidelines. Ranmaru ignored it, moving his blade into the Crescent Moon Slash. '_Now you'll all see!_'

Isamu gaped as his younger brother charged him with speed he'd never showed before. He was too stunned to guard and there was no way he could move out of the way fast enough. The chakra-enhanced blade was going right for his gut.

He closed his eyes tightly, not wanting to see himself being impaled. Then he remembered true warriors never turned away from death and opened his eyes only to hear a loud clang, the sword and his brother both flying back across the training grounds.

He gasped as the hulking form that had blocked the blow turned to look at him with deep charcoal eyes. "Father…"

_Fifteen Minutes Earlier..._

Katashi returned home from patrols with his small battalion, disgruntled it had simply been a band of petty bandits the Kazama clan's sentries had reported causing trouble. Though the large fellow had put up somewhat of a challenge.

More than his comrades at least. In the end, he had allowed the man to leave with his life, only on the condition he never returned to the Kazama territory under penalty of a gruesome death.

Of course, it was only after all his fellow rogues had been slaughtered did he choose to accept this bargain. Considering the foul mood he was in, Katashi found himself being surprisingly generous. Normally, he would have cut down intruders who trespassed without good reason, regardless of whether or not they posed a serious threat. Maybe he was going soft, though.

Or maybe he was just exhausted and in need of a home-cooked meal and a hot soak. It was a three day journey from the clan's settlement at the opening of the valley to the edge of their territory. The Kazama had held the land for the last twenty-five years, since he was a young boy, and as it had been handed down to him by his father before him. He fully intended to keep their territory secure until the day came when he would pass his land down to his own son.

He hadn't yet decided if he would simply give it all to the eldest or divide it up equally among his four sons. _'Kimiko will marry a worthy samurai of course,'_ he thought, continuing through the treacherous pass that acted as another natural barrier between the clan's settlement and the outside world, on horseback. His men rode close behind.

Katashi thought of his bouncy, adventurous daughter. Often he would return home from battle or a patrol and find her causing her mother to fret as she attempted to explore the compounds. It was clear that she thought she was capable of doing everything her brothers could. She had the determination of her samurai bloodline that was for sure.

But everyone knew women were never meant to hold a blade. It was…unnatural. Females were not warriors; they were wives, caretakers, and mothers. He only hoped that Hamuko wrangled her into obedience by the time she was of marrying age, or finding a suitable man to take her would prove difficult.

He had considered having her betrothed to the son of one of his highest-ranked captains, but his wife had somehow persuaded him from deciding until she was at least ten years of age. She seemed certain that she could make Kimiko obedient and submissive enough to find a suitor without an arranged marriage being involved.

He let his wife have her way for the moment. He was the one that held their sons' futures, so it was only fair he allow her to take charge of their daughter's upbringing. Besides which, he had no time to pamper and raise a fragile, docile girl.

He was busy preparing his sons to be hardened soldiers who would be ready for warfare at a moment's notice. It was the only way they would survive long enough to pass on the Kazama name.

Through the dense fog that had covered the mountain pass, the gates to the compound began to come into view. The crest, two arrows that intersected diagonally within the shape of a diamond, adorned the white flags on either side of the gates. The guards, seeing the clan head had returned quickly drew open the main gate to allow them to ride through, bowing in respect as he passed.

Katashi nodded as his people stared at him with reverence, bowing, waving or simply smiling in welcome. His men rode at his sides and flank, soaking up the attention their fellow clansmen threw their way with more aplomb then their leader. When he approached the main branch's household—his house, he quickly descended from his horse and motioned for a nearby stableman to retrieve it.

The man grabbed the large, muscular beast by the reigns and began to lead it away to the stables. Several more stable boys came to collect the horses of his soldiers. "Well done men, retire to your homes and rest." He grunted, removing his helmet first.

"Yes, lord!" they all barked.

By then he was already in the doorway of his home and carefully taking off his heavy boots. "Tadaima," he said without looking up.

By the time he had removed both and still not gotten an answer he bothered to look around. Usually his wife would come rushing to greet him with words of relief for his safe return, hugging, kissing and generally fussing over the slightest sign of a bruise.

He knew she should not be far. Normally making dinner around this time. He slid the paper doors open, only to find a heap of potatoes, half-peeled and abandoned, the pot threatening to bubble over the wood-burning stove. The samurai sighed heavily through his nose, already guessing what was wrong.

"How can Hamuko allow a child barely out of its cradle to run amuck through the compound?" he grumbled, stepping out of the kitchen and into the eastern courtyard. "Can't she control that girl?"

"Nagashi!" he bellowed, approaching a disciplined-looking man with salt and pepper hair who was speaking with the captain of his fourth division.

Nagashi instantly excused himself and walked to meet Katashi, bowing lightly. "Yes, milord?"

"Where are my sons training today?" he demanded, looking down at the older man with a stern frown that portrayed his impatience.

Nagashi paused to think back to earlier that morning, when he'd seen the boys marching off with swords at their sides. "The south training fields, I believe?" he thought back to what the energetic redheaded boy had called to him, then nodded in agreement. "Yes, they left for the south fields at sunrise."

"And my daughter?"

Nagashi frowned, brow arched skeptically. "With Lady Hamuko, of course. You know she never allows the little one to follow after-"

The old blacksmith stopped, Katashi tensing. They had both felt the heavy flux of power in the air.

_'That wind...that's the Crescent technique I taught Ranmaru...what is that fool doing?!_' Katashi leapt away with blinding speed before Nagashi could so much as comment.

In one fluid motion he had withdrawn his sword and blocked the attack within seconds of it plunging into Isamu's abdomen. He growled, absorbing the blow and using the momentum to fling his son away. "Father..." he heard Isamu whisper quietly.

"What the hell is happening?!" he yelled, stabbing his blade into the ground with a snarl. Hamuko and Toya came running at his yell, both panting. Hamuko straightened up in time to see her youngest son sliding down from a tree branch with his baby sister in tow.

"Kimiko!" she rushed forward to collect her daughter, clutching her tightly. She held the bright-eyed child out for inspection, satisfied to see she looked perfectly uninjured. "How many times have I told you not to go outside without me?" she chided.

The child pouted abashedly. "I wanna play with Jai-nii-kun..." she whined.

Hamuko looked to the redhaired boy who was glancing at the dirt with a sheepish grin. "I'm very disappointed in you, Jai-kun. I trust in you to look out for your sister, bringing her here places her directly in harm's way."

"Gomen, kaa-san..." he said sincerely. "I just felt bad that Kimiko-chan never gets to train with us...I thought she could at least watch."

"I don't want her exposed to fighting. It'll only encourage her," Hamuko scolded. "She already thinks she can keep up with everything you do." she readjusted her grip on the little girl as Kimiko tried to squirm to the ground.

"And what the hell did you think you were doing, boy?" Katashi was seething as he yanked his son up from the dirt by his collar. "What'd I tell you? That technique ain't for showing off, you hear me? You use that on enemies, _not_ on your own kinsmen." Ranmaru shrunk away from his father's livid face as he was shaken around angrily.

"Y-yes tou-san..." Hamuko stepped forward cautiously, worried her husband's temper may cause him to strike out rashly.

"Katashi," she whispered pleadingly.

He paused to spare his wife a side glance, noticing how she subtlety glanced at their purple-haired daughter, silently begging for him not to lose his temper in front of her. The Kazama head, still seething, closed his eyes and gruffly released his son.

Ranmaru swallowed, shaking slightly as he thought of how close he'd come to incurring his father's full wrath. He remembered the times before when their father had lost his patience with them, the memory striking a chord of terror somewhere deep in his soul. Katashi let his eyes sweep over his sons one more time, his jaw ticking. "Ranmaru. Meet me here tomorrow. An hour before dawn. It seems I need to re-teach you the importance of not showing off. The rest of you will join us after breakfast." The man stalked off, his movements surprisingly deft despite his armor.

Toya helped the visibly shaken boy to his feet and guided him away by his shoulder, quietly telling him to clean himself up.

"I should sharpen my blade before dinner." Hiroto said by way of self-dismissal, bowing to his mother and quickly leaving in the direction of the clan dojo, where the whetstone was kept.

Hamuko frowned. Her husband was often hard on their sons. It was expected; the world was a battlefield and children as young as Kimiko died every day...she shuddered and held her small daughter that much tighter. Kimiko didn't quite like being squeezed, but stopped struggling long enough to study her mother's worried expression with inquisitive deep blue eyes.

She resisted the surge of emotion threatening to knot in her throat and smiled feebly, knowing her daughter was too young to understand. "Kaa-san...?" Jai asked worriedly, tugging at his mother's yukata lightly.

She blinked, easily hiding away her worries and giving her son a gentle smile. "Dinner has been delayed," she laughed quietly, "Will you help me finish Jai-kun, Isamu-kun?"

Both boys nodded, following their mother back into the house, unaware of how she was imagining their young faces, cold-skinned and glassy-eyed, laying still in a war-torn field. Dead, like so much wasted life.

* * *

**So, how was it…? Good, so-so, too awful for words...? Hopefully anything but the last one. :/ I decided to add a twist right from the start. Normally, if there's a main heroine in the stories I've read set in this time period with the young founders, she's either a member of the Uchiha clan (and some relation to Madara), or a helpless civilian. But Kimiko will be neither (though I admit I was **_**this**_** close to going for civilian…)!**

** To add more conflict later on in the story, I made her come from a long line of well-noted samurai (from a clan I made up)! :D Since everyone knows samurai and ninja were basically the vampires and werewolves of their day—you know, mortal enemies—yeah, I'm kidding…no sparkly-vampires here, thanks…XD But since samurai and shinobi typically follow a different ethical code (leading to strong feelings of contention in the past) that will serve as a driving force behind the plot later and hopefully help set this story apart as well.**

** Also, lots of sexism going on as you've noticed…I'm all for female power, but alas, this was historically during a time when women were viewed as inferior and had very little say about…well, pretty much anything in their own lives. I need to research some more, but since I have never heard of there being female samurai as there were female ninja, I figure it would be considered more unconvential for a female to decide she would break tradition and become a warrior…if Kimiko were from a ninja clan I'm sure they'd be all gung-ho that she become a strong kunoichi…but she's not, so for a while, she's not going to be given very much consideration as any time of soldier. XP Please drop me a line (or six) in a review and let me know what you think so far!**


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